Egypt has signed a deal with France to buy two warships originally ordered by Russia. The agreement comes as French Prime Minister Manuel Valls began a tour of Arab countries. The signing of the contract comes weeks after French President Francois Hollande first announced the deal.
The Mistral warships can each carry 16 helicopters, four landing craft and 13 tanks. They were originally ordered by Russia in 2011 in a 1.2-billion-euro deal. France later scrapped the sale amid disagreement over the crisis in Ukraine.
Valls arrived in Cairo at the start of visits to three nations aimed at boosting economic ties and holding talks on regional conflicts. The crisis in Syria and Russia's military intervention, as well as escalating Israeli-Palestinian violence, are set to figure high on the French prime minister's agenda.
